Cross Your Heart
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and twenty-one: Mercedes knows Puck is the father... and soon the others will too.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, and fifty cycle. Now here's cycle 6!_

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**"Cross Your Heart"  
Mercedes + Tina, Artie, Kurt, Santana, Brittany**

Mercedes knew full well what could happen if the secret got out. She hated that she had to get stuck with it, but now there she was, with that knowledge. Everyone thought Finn was the father of Quinn's baby, but she knew now he wasn't, knew it from Puck himself… he was the father… He and Quinn, together, and Finn had no idea… neither did any of the others. And it could be a train wreck if that changed, so she was going to keep her mouth shut, keep the secret locked up where it would hurt no one.

Intentions had been dashed within a few weeks. She hadn't planned to… it was an accident. She didn't even remember how it had come to be that the subject had landed where it did, but when she talked to Tina, some conversation zig zag was not out of the ordinary.

They'd somehow landed to talking about Quinn and the baby. Tina had wondered if it would be out of place for them to throw her a baby shower. There'd be talks here and there whether she was giving away the baby or keeping it, they weren't sure where they all stood.

"Maybe we can just have a party…" Mercedes had suggested.

"Maybe," Tina nodded. "Who do we invite? If we just invite the girls, then what does it mean?" Mercedes didn't respond yet, considering this. "I guess we can invite the guys too. They won't mind, right?" Mercedes chuckled… she didn't even notice it. "What was that?" She looked back to Tina, confused.

"What?"

"What'd you…" she gestured. Now she realized it… and she tried not to let herself say the wrong thing.

"No, I just…" Tina gave her a look… she could always see right through her… she kind of hated that at the moment…

"Spill it," Tina instructed. Mercedes shook her head, refusing to say a word. Surprisingly, Tina let it go. She figured she was out of the spotlight, free.

The next day, Mercedes came into school to find Tina had gained support from Artie. She didn't know what she'd told him, but all of a sudden they were on either side of her.

"There's no secret," she insisted, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know, the way she said it, I tend to agree," Artie nodded. Tina nodded along.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she didn't budge. Tina and Artie's eyes met behind her back, a silent exchange happening in an instant before they stood back up straight, nodding to Mercedes.

"Okay," they both said, taking retreat as Mercedes watched them go, baffled. What were they up to?

The next day, at lunch, she sat alone, eating through what she hoped was indeed chicken. But a moment later she looked up and startled to find Tina, Artie, and now Kurt, sitting at the table with her. She put her fork down with a sigh.

"Come on…"

"Secrets won't do you any good. And it's terrible on the skin," Kurt warned. On reflex, she reached to her face, but then frowned.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?" she nudged her tray.

"No," the three voices spoke as one.

"Well that's a shame." They shared a look, and they retreated. Mercedes sighed, picking up her fork… she was less and less sure it was chicken.

The trio didn't make a pass at her the next day… they were seeking to bring in the big leagues, and it was hopefully going to crack her… They made their way to the duo as they sat chatting along in the back of the classroom. When they saw the three approach, they paused.

"Santana, Brittany? We need you," Kurt made the address. Santana's eyebrow raised… Brittany smiled.

The next morning, Mercedes had walked into McKinley feeling confident that the inquisitors had finally let her fall off their radar. She didn't take much notice as Santana and Brittany went by her. She wasn't sure what had finally made them leave her alone, but it'd been more than twenty-four hours, so…

She waved to Kurt as he passed her. Unless… what if they were just lying in wait… no… they wouldn't… would they? As Tina and Artie passed her, she tried to see if anything on their faces screamed 'we only look innocent.' They seemed in the clear though, so she carried on.

It was as she passed the glass trophy case that she saw the reflection, and she saw… the five of them were right behind her, following.

It was just going to escalate… What if they brought in Rachel? Or Quinn? What if they brought in Finn? No… She had to put a stop to it. So she turned to face them, speaking her secret.

THE END


End file.
